Don’t give advice unless someone asks for it.
And when they do, don’t give it right away.
Make them ask twice.
Useful
Your earnings are a pretty good indication of how useful you are to people.
So think of it how you want.
- A justification for wanting to make money? Cool.
- A measurement for how useful you are to people? Fine, too.
- A strategy for building a business? Great.
Bottom line: Be useful.
Vampires
They suck your blood and kill you slowly.
Fortunately, you have a choice to decline their invitation to hang out.
Aright, let’s play a game
When have the events to follow this question ever not been memorable, fun, or exciting?
Next
Your project finished. Now what?
First, take a break.
Then, before jumping into a new project, revisit your why.
Why you’re doing what you’re doing.
It’s energizing and good for all parties.
And, of course, good for your next project.
The take
Let’s take our time with this one.
Let’s take ourselves out to a nice dinner.
Let’s take a break.
Let’s take a step back.
Let’s take this opportunity to setup a call.
Let’s take advantage of their big budget.
Take take take.
At what point did your client service become less about giving and more about the take?
Sunday is my birthday
If you’re looking to get me a gift, there’s the stuff I’ve “registered” for:
- A note saying you went to the orphanage* and adopted a dog.
- An email saying you finally were able to which Vitamix is right for you and took the plunge (saving up to $90 because of the big Mother’s Day Sale).
- A text with a picture of your breakfast.
- A pingback saying you wrote about Life is NOYOKE.
- A voicemail of freestyle rap.
- A comment telling me the last book you were gifted.
- A donation to ALS-TDI.
- A promise to never gift me things ever again because you understand how things stress me about and bring me zero joy (well explained by fellow disliker of stuff, Sivers.
That’s all I got this year. I have everything I need and could ever want.
So go do something for yourself that would make me proud.
Love,
Lenny
Your shots
Expect every shot to go in.
You’ll be surprised more often. But disappointed far less.
Compassion
You’ll never understand.
Try to figure someone out.
It may seem compassionate to figure out why they did what they did. Or said what they said. Or thought what they thought.
But you’ll never really, fully understand.
So understand that.
Because that’s true compassion.
Pizza and beer
Do for you. Or do for me.
They’re not mutually exclusive.
But when there’s a chance to do both, one wins every time.
That’s why you ask for help with a move instead of offering pizza and beer. Even though pizza and beer is more of an incentive, it becomes not enough.